8 Easy Lunches for Kids…and for You Too! :)

I remember being embarrassed by my homemade lunch when I was in the third grade. I had a meatloaf sandwich from the previous evening’s dinner. However, my friends had peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches, ham and cheese on a roll, and chicken nuggets. Looking back, I now feel that I had the better lunch, but I wanted to “fit-in” at the lunch table.

I kept that story in mind when I started to prepare my own child’s homemade lunches for school – but he did not have those feelings of “not fitting-in” at the lunch table that I had. He wanted, received, and enjoyed what I have fixed. Let’s see, there were soft shell tacos filled with pernil asado (roast pork) and shredded cabbage; grilled chicken Caesar salad on a skewer; sliced steak topped with an onion-mushroom sauce over white rice; and almond butter and peach preserves with sliced bananas on grain bread. He also like chicken fajitas, Jamaican jerk chicken and rice, mini crab cakes on endive; and even an occasional sandwich – triple decker with bacon, turkey, tomato and Arugala lettuce…don’t forget the homemade honey mustard citrus sauce. For a snack, he would always have a couple of home-made cookies, some fruit (a few grapes or an apple, or an orange.) He also had an aluminum bottle of filtered water…that he wanted (he loves water, always had.)

I would ask, “They don’t tease you in school over your lunches?” He would answer, “Noooo, but they always ask ‘Can I get a bite?’” A different world from my own experience.

Here are 8 simple lunches you can make for your children…or for yourself!!

1. If you made pork-chops for dinner…
debone one of them, cut into strips and use them with Mexican corn tortillas topped with lettuce or shredded cabbage and even shredded cheese. These little tacos would also work with left over tilapia fish. 

2. Spaghetti and meatballs for dinner…
toast a couple of hot-dog rolls, add a few meatballs with sauce and top with some cheese for a meatball “parm” or just as a hoagie for a hefty lunch. 

3. If you had salmon…
or any fish, make a “tuna fish sandwich” style lunch. Flake a piece of salmon, add your mayo (even plain yogurt), a splash of lemon juice, cracked black pepper, garlic powder and top with Arugula lettuce (I use Arugula a lot because it has a nice peppery bite to it and it holds up well, but use what you/your child likes) and a few slices of avocado if I have some. This sandwich is great on grain bread. 

4. If you had grilled chicken the night before…
make  chicken  kebabs. Take a skewer and start your “kebab” with a cubed piece Italian/French bread, then a pieces of cubed grilled chicken, then alternate with veggies. Slather with some dressing – about 3 kebabs should be sufficient for lunch. 

5. Had “breakfast” for dinner…
then place some scrambled eggs in a tortilla wrap along with some bacon (or ham) and cheese for a tasty lunch.

6. If your child is a vegetarian…
like mine was for 3 days, then fix them a great black bean dip or hummus (homemade or store-bought) and pack it with some carrot sticks, celery sticks, sliced radishes, apples slices, and quarter-up a mini pita for dipping or include a bag of pita chips for a healthy lunch. Also try a salad on a stick!
 

7. Had fried chicken…
then fry some extra “wings” for a delicious lunch – don’t forget to add a small tub of sauce (BBQ? Honey Mustard?) for this lunch.  I cut up my wings “buffalo style” for this lunch. If you fried boneless chicken breast – cut one up like “tenders” and offer some sauces for that as well. Maybe include some coleslaw with this lunch to get some veg in. 

8. If you don’t have any left-over dinner…
then make “lunchables” a quick mini sandwich with crackers (Oscar Myer just capitalized on it.) Cut up some Canadian ham (or fold up some ham slices) and American (or cheddar) cheese and pack some crackers with a mayo packet for a quick bite. Switch it up with pepperoni and mozzarella (and maybe a salsa packet) for a “pizza” bite. Throw in a container of fruit (grapes, apples slices, pears, etc.) 

My son’s (and Partner’s) lunches were/are usually leftovers from the previous evening’s dinner. We would keep that in mind when we went food-shopping. The best part was that he started to fix his own lunches based on the leftover dinners. Kids WILL eat a lunch that they make themselves. Don’t forget to still include your fruit snacks and filtered water with all the lunches. Hope these ideas help – Enjoy!

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